Congratulations! You made it! You survived and excelled in your student teaching. You are now a science teacher! If you would, take a few minutes to share your wisdom about how to negotiate this difficult year with the students who are following in your footsteps by answering the following questions.
a. What are some things students can do in their fall practicum to make their student teaching go more smoothly?
Some things that are incredibly beneficial to prepare for student teaching is to get to know their upcoming Cooperating Teacher. Establish lines of communication and ask them what is and what will be expected of them when they start teaching in their classrooms. Also, they should ask if they can jump in and help their CTs with classroom activities. Though it is called an 'observational period' at the school they will be teaching at they should make sure that they are proactive and dive in! There is nothing worse than feeling lost on those first couple days of actually taking over the classroom...In short- get comfortable with the kids, try to learn their names and behaviors.
A message to incoming students:
Do your work in the fall. "Methods" is a pretty rigorous course, but student teaching is even "harder" if you will. There are times that you are beyond thinking and your mind begins to run on it's own because you feel as though you can participate no longer. Get into the good habit of getting your work done efficiently and on time. This will prepare you for the organizational skills you will need to become a teacher. Time management is key, being proactive is key, and never giving in to that feeling of exasperation and/or exhaustion is key!
b. What 430 topics/assignments should students make sure are addressed in detail to prepare them for student teaching?
Some assignments that students must know what is precisely expected of them are the 'learning goals' and lesson plans they must create for the MAJOR unit plan. I would have to say that the unit plan completely overpowers all other assignments as there are so many parts to it. However, with persistence it can be done! I worked close to 40 hours on mine and I feel that I came out on top. However, most students, including myself, have never been expected to work that hard on any project in their entire academic career. So with that said, students should make sure to ask questions, ask questions and ask even more questions when it comes to these assignments that are a huge component of their learning about education and preparation for student teaching!
c. Help the next group of science education student teachers by completing the thought: "If I knew in September what I know now, I could have done a better job during student teaching if I had ...."
If I knew in September what I know now, I could have done a better job during student teaching if I had been a little less 'shy' with the older students. When I first began student teaching at the high school level I was a little shy- because let's face it, I am not much older than these kids and I have a complex about being short and looking about 6 years younger than my actual age. I felt like they weren't going to take me seriously. However, after awhile I realized that they did in fact take me very seriously and there was no need to feel shy or intimidated. I kind of wish that I could go back and be the confident self that I am now.
d. Are there other words of wisdom/encouragement that you want to share?
By this point students have already gone through most of their classes, gotten into the school of Ed. and more than likely passed their praxis exams. So...with all of those accomplishments a congratulations is in order. Teaching is one of the hardest fields to get into, to work in, and knowing that it usually goes unnoticed by many people as being one of the most important jobs in the world. However, as future teachers...know that what you are going to be doing IS one of hardest and fulfilling jobs and that it doesn't matter if parents thank you or the state gives you extra money for your successes as long as you realize that you are educating young minds that will someday be our future. So if you ever feel that you're not making a huge difference in this world, think again- you are doing more than any CEO of Mercedes or Director of ESPN. Keep up the good work and remember that as a teacher you must model everything and continue to be a lifelong learner.
a. What are some things students can do in their fall practicum to make their student teaching go more smoothly?
b. What 430 topics/assignments should students make sure are addressed in detail to prepare them for student teaching?
- Some assignments that students must know what is precisely expected of them are the 'learning goals' and lesson plans they must create for the MAJOR unit plan. I would have to say that the unit plan completely overpowers all other assignments as there are so many parts to it. However, with persistence it can be done! I worked close to 40 hours on mine and I feel that I came out on top. However, most students, including myself, have never been expected to work that hard on any project in their entire academic career. So with that said, students should make sure to ask questions, ask questions and ask even more questions when it comes to these assignments that are a huge component of their learning about education and preparation for student teaching!
c. Help the next group of science education student teachers by completing the thought: "If I knew in September what I know now, I could have done a better job during student teaching if I had ...."d. Are there other words of wisdom/encouragement that you want to share?